This is the first post in my newest blog category, Getting Stuff Done.

For each category in my website, I’ve started with an apologia:  what is my authority to talk on this subject?

In this case, I’ve been called:

“The busiest person I know.”

“A closer.”

“The most organized person I’ve met.”

I can’t credit those comments to personal virtue or sacrificial effort. In large part, I’m just naturally obsessive and driven. So is it ill-conceived for an obsessive person to give advice to people of a different bent?

I don’t think so because of this:

As my music business has grown, I’ve taken on more and more. The scope of what I’m now doing (managing 34 instructors, teaching 50 private students, and directing 11 bands) would be impossible without the tools I’ve found. No amount of obsessiveness or energy or effort would suffice. I would be swamped and overwhelmed, ESPECIALLY because disorganization wears on me so hard.

So in this section of the blog I will muse on organization and productivity and share some of the tools I’ve found.

These tools fall into categories:

1. Habits (that’s the discipline part)

2. Strategies (procedural tricks for getting stuff done easier)

3. Philosophies (ways of looking at the whole endeavor),

….and probably the most fun part:

4. Software and Apps (my love for geeky things–for their own sake–has led me to both some bombs and some great discoveries)

To wrap up this first blog, I’ll mention my favorite tool of all:  EverNote.  I love EverNote so much I thought at first maybe I should just have only one post in this category:  “Want to get organized? Get EverNote.”

(No, they aren’t subsidizing my blog or paying me off.)

I’ll be back next time to get more specific and share some of my habits, strategies, philosophies and tools. In the meantime:

Get EverNote!